Aim High

AF winner achieves her dream

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
and courtesy of True Vision

Growing up in a family that runs a Muay Thai camp, Academy Fantasia season 11 winner Satida Pinsinchai (Aim) has been used to boxing rings and gloves since she was young. However, at the age of seven, Aim fell in love with singing and dancing, and took lessons in schools. In 2006, the 13-year-old Aim won first prize in the TV junior singing competition C-SA, which gave her confidence and inspired her to be a professional singer.

But life has not been easy. Aim felt a failure when she didn't make it to the final round of Academy Fantasia season seven. Then she almost gave up her singing career when her album with a girl group was turned down by a music label executive. The aspiring singer took a break in the US and bounced back as the winner of AF 11 last year. Since releasing her debut single “Perd Jai Mai Perd Tua” (Open My Mind, But Let’s Take It Slow), the 22-year-old singer has toured many provinces. And recently, she appeared in a lead role in an episode of mini-TV series AF 11 The Series: Guan Za La Fan (Dream Chaser Gang). The series features only five episodes, and the main characters are from AF 11. Student Weekly met up with the singer at the Thailand Dance Sport Association headquarters, where she practices her dancing skills. Aim eagerly told us about her inspirations and the Dream Chaser Gang series, which launched on a True Visions channel in April.

Student Weekly: Why did you almost give up your dream when your album was turned down?

Aim: I gave up activities at university to practice for the album for three years. I almost became a cheerleader and performed in a stage play, but didn’t because I wanted to focus on the album. When the album was completed, an executive suddenly told me that girl groups couldn’t sell. I felt like I had totally failed because I couldn’t fix this kind of problem.

Student Weekly: How did you encourage yourself?

Aim: After graduating from university, I took a dancing class in Los Angeles for three months. It was an eye-opening experience. From a great dancing student in Bangkok, I found I was one of weakest students in a class which had about 300 students - and 270 of them were awesome. I learned that they were great because they practiced from 9am to 11pm every day. Everyone, including teachers, always improved themselves by learning new dance moves and techniques. I found the world was bigger than I had thought.

Student Weekly: How was it meeting one of Justin Bieber’s choreographers?

Aim: I took classes at the Movement Lifestyle Studio, where I met Mykell Wilson, a dancer for K-pop singer Taeyang. We hung out at a café together and he introduced me to Nick Demoura, who asked me why I was taking dancing classes in the US, because he had barely met any Thai people there. I told him that I had tried to become a singer, but didn’t make it. I felt bored, so I took a break. He told me that he had worked with Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Usher. Before he became a dancer for these singers, he made a lot of mistakes, more than I did. But he practiced every day and never felt discouraged. His words inspired me.

Student Weekly: How would you describe your character in Dream Chaser Gang?

Aim: I play myself. The scriptwriters use our personalities that they noticed in Academy Fantasia. I got the most dramatic episode, because in the AF programme I really concentrated on singing and dancing. In the series, my character is very determined. I am in a band and I’m very strict with my bandmates, which causes arguments. I also argue with my dad. My episode has no funny dialogue at all.

Student Weekly: Were the dramatic scenes difficult?

Aim: Yes. When I was in AF, the acting teacher let us take time to build up our emotions. But on the set, there was a director and a lot of crew members. They expected us to act out right away. In a scene where I cried alone while reading a diary, I had to ask the director to take some time out. After that, I cried on the set because I was scared. I was stressed out and afraid of wasting the crew’s time.

Student Weekly: Could you tell us about your dramatic scene with Pan Piboon?

Aim: In the series, Pan plays my dad, who is always gloomy after mom’s death. He is lifeless. We finally get into a fight because I have had enough of his lifeless behaviour. On the set, I found that working with a professional actor was awesome. His eye contact reminded me of my dad, and that made me cry.

Student Weekly: Why should viewers who aren’t fans of Academy Fantasia watch this series?

Aim: There are many themes in each episode, including love, spookiness, humour and drama.

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